Carnations in Her Hair
by scarlet tribe
Summary: At the end of an assignment, Natasha and an old opponent collide. Sometimes paths cross violently and this time, they have to work on the same side. There are two possible outcomes. They will tear each other apart, or maybe, just maybe, learn to get long. Catarina Juarez storms back into Natasha's life, and into the lives of the Avengers.
1. Chapter 1

Natasha Romanoff was finally getting her chance. She was finally dancing in a ballet. She had been given this opportunity by a recent mission that she had just finished. The assignment required her to go undercover as a ballerina. However, she ended up landing the part of the Snow Queen in the Nut Cracker. Someone had to do it. So Natasha decided to stay and dance the part during the performances.

Even though the ballet was in the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Tony still flew the rest of the group to see the ballet. Natasha was torn between excitement at their presence, and annoyance. But, if she was going to share the experience with anyone, she was glad it was with them.

The Kennedy Center is a beautiful building. It has a hall with a lush red carpet, and flags from other nations hanging from the tall ceiling. On the top floor, there was a hall with marble walls, and at the end of the halls on both sides, there were floor length windows looking outside on the balcony that wrapped around the roof.

On most nights, that floor had two places to eat. However, since this was the first performance, everyone was in the hall eating, dancing, drinking and socializing. Many important figures were there, and there were many rich people there as well.

The men looked dashing in their tuxedoes and the women were alluring in their gowns. Tony cleaned up well and seemed at ease in the setting. Steve lingered near one of the tall windows with Bruce, both preferring to keep to themselves. Clint and Pepper stood together, talking quietly and keeping an eye on Tony. They weren't glued to his side, but they were still close by.

Pepper was stunning in her champagne dress. Her hair was done up in an elegant knot on the back of her head and she kept her clutch tight in her hand.

"What time was this supposed to start again?" Clint asked her as he looked around the room.

"Not until seven." She answered as she looked for Steve and Bruce, making sure they were alright. When she spotted them, she saw a lovely young blonde talking to Steve briefly.

"God, how can Tony just talk to these people?" Clint asked. "It's gotta be tiring talking about the same thing over and over." Pepper just smirked a bit.

"You of all people should know it's not always what you say. It's _how_ you say it." She told him. Clint smiled a bit, amused. She had a point. Tony could be having a completely different conversation with someone, but the people on the outside wouldn't know it. "How do you think Natasha is holding up?"

"She's fine." Clint said, sounding completely sure. "She's been wanting this opportunity almost her whole life. If anything, she's extatic."

"Not that she would show it." Pepper commented, sipping her drink. Clint smiled and almost laughed at the comment. She had a point. He shook his head.

"Yeah. I guess you're right-" Clint stopped talking in what sounded like mid- sentence. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as something caught his attention. Pepper noticed and turned, looking in the direction he was staring at. It looked as if he was starring at a woman across the room.

She was a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and soft tan skin. She wore a dark green lace dress that hugged her curves tightly and had a slit up to her mid thigh. She wore nude stilletos with it. The dress had long lace sleeves and the neckline fell off the shoulders slightly. Her dark brown hair was partially up. What was down was soflty curled and fell between her shoulder blades. She had two small braids on the side of her head that went to where the rest of her hair was pulled back out of her face. A small bunch of cream roses were clipped to her hair there.

As the woman turned to face them, Pepper could see her dark brown eyes find clint and her red stained lips quirked into a mocking smirk. She raised her hand and wiggled some fingers in a wave before turning and heading to leave the room.

Clint started to move forward to try and reach her, but the lights dimmed as a bell toned, signaling that the ballet was about to start.

"Well." Tony said, linking his arm with Pepper. "That's our cue." He wasn't wrong. Everyone started to leave for the exit.

"I'll be right back." He said and took off, making his way through the crowd, trying to find her again. With everyone surgin to the exit, he lost her. Clint sighed and slipped into a smaller hallway with less people and pulled out his phone. He needed to call Coulson.

"Catalina Juarez." Coulson repeated. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure Coulson." Barton confirmed. "What do you want me to do?"

"You said you lost her right?" Coulson asked. "SO it's safe to assume she is still there? Keep an eye out, but don't do anything yet. I'll see what we can do here to get a visual on her. We'll use the security footage."

"Yes sir." Clint said and hung up before heading to his own seat. Tony had gotten them box seat tickets. The group had their own little section all to themselves. He sat down in his seat between Steve and Bruce.

"Where did you run off to?" Steve asked calmly. He had an idea that something was up, but didn't know what was wrong or what he needed to do. The lights began to dim and the conductor stepped out and walked over to his podium. Everyone applauded him, as was custom, and the music began.

"Had to make a call." He explained shortly and leaned back. He looked calm but he was scanning the crowd. While the characters on stage danced, Clint kept looking for that one woman. It wasn't until the scene where the rats were attacking when he found her. He was almost startled when he spotted her. She was sitting in her own box seat, sitting among wealthy, powerful people. But that was expected.

Across the room, she met his gaze with a small, confident smile. Her dark eyes staring straight at him is what startled him. After a few minutes of starring at each other, she slowly turned her head to the stage, watching as Natasha entered the stage. It was the end of the first act. Clint also looked to the stage and kept an eye on all the other dancers, and tried to see if there was anyone off stage that posed a threat to his friend. There was nothing he could see and was confused when the curtains dropped without incident.

The woman leaned to the man next to her and whispered something in his ear. He smiled and nodded. She stood smoothly and let her hand fall slowly off his shoulder. Clint shifted, she was on the move.

"Steve, keep everyone here." Clint told him as he stood. Steve looked at him concerned but nodded. "I'll be right back." He said and took off quickly. He weaved through the crowd and made his way down the steps. He did his best to appear as calm and untroubled as possible, so to avoid panicking others. He looked around, trying to find her, his eyes scanning the crowd almost franticly. He was startled when someone bumped into him, the hand slowly falling off his shoulder. He could see the hint of green sleeve and when he turned, he saw a glimipse of her turning the corner, heading up the steps he had just come down.

Clint sighed. He shouldn't be surprised. She always did enjoy making them run in circles. Without hesitating, he followed. He followed her up the steps to a small lounge area that was reserved for a specific ticket holder. The person at the entrance let him in with a smile, as was expected. He entered the nearly empty lounge and saw her sitting in the back corner at a table for two. She had a small drink with her and looked almost bored. She saw him heading towards her and smiled as if she was seeing an old friend.

"Hello, again." She said softly as he stopped in front of her. He had a firm look and she smiled bigger to herself. "Oh, smile. You'll scare everyone." She told him quietly. Barton relaxed his face a bit but didn't do much else. She sighed through her nose and motioned to the chair next to her. "Well at least sit."

"Why are you here?" He asked as he sat. She rolled her eyes at the directness.

"Not one to beat around the bush." She teased and her small smile returned. She liked that she still got under his skin. "I'm here for the ballet, same as you. I was surprised to see our mutual friend in it, however."

"I wouldn't say she was a friend of yours." He said stiffly. She shrugged with a small smile. "Acquaintance, then." She said and took a sip. "Seeing you here startled me, and at first I thought you two were after me again."

"We have bigger fish to fry." He told her curtly. Caterina pouted and put a hand to her heart, feigning hurt.

"Oh you wound me." She said frowning. "Please, stop acting like I'm the bad guy here. You two never had to get involved in the first place. It's not my fault you two can't do your jobs." She id as she sipped her drink again. Clint turned to her with a glare. He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. I promise, I'm not here for any of you." She said and set her drink down. She stood and looked to him, stare cold. "Nice to see you again." She said before walking away.

Barton watched her go and he heard the ringing of the bells. Intermission was ending soon. Even though Caterina's word was one you could trust, he still needed to tell Natasha.

Natasha was a beautiful dancer, and the entire group of Avengers were impressed and awed by her grace and skill. And they were all excited to greet her during the after party. It was back in the hall on the roof, but only guests of the dancers were permitted.

Natasha entered in her beautiful navy blue gown and people applauded her and her dance partner. They took another bow and went their own ways to greet their guests. Pepper embraced Natasha gently.

"You were wonderful, Nat!" She told her. Natasha gently retuned the hug and smiled softly. Pepper released her and Tony took her place. Instead of hugging her, he simply shook her hand.

"Impressive." He told her teasingly. "Is there anything you can't do?" He joked and Natasha smirked at him.

"Not that I can think of." She teased back. Tony smiled a toothy grin and chuckled. Bruce put a hand on Natasha's shoulder, getting her attention. She looked at him and smile softly.

"You did amazing." He told her. Steve spoke up as well.

"I agree with Bruce. You were phenomenal." He told her. They all stood around, talking about her performance, her costume, her skill and grace.

Natasha stood and listened to them talking amongst themselves. Some of it was about the ballet, some of it was about any number of other topics. She wasn't listening too much. To be quite honest, she was tired from dancing all day. They had been rehearsing all day before the performance and her feet killed. But that was to be expected.

"Excuse me, Ms. Rushman," some one said behind Natasha. She turned to see a staff member standing there with an envelope. "I was instructed to give this to you." He said and handed it to her. She could hear the group behind her go quiet.

"Thank you." She told him. He nodded and left. Clint was over one shoulder and Tony was over the other. Both were curious about the letter. She opened the envelope and pulled out a small crème card. In black cursive there was a short message.

 _Stunning performance. I would love to see you again. Dressing room, 9:30. See you then. XX_

That was all it said, but in the envelope, there was a small red carnation. And that told Natasha more than the card ever could.


	2. Chapter 2

Caterina sat at the vanity in Natasha's dressing room. She had snooped through it and found nothing interesting. She sat staring at her reflection, day dreaming, before she pulled out her lipstick. Caterina began humming to herself as she applied the deep red lipstick to her lips again.

The door slowly opened to reveal Natasha standing there calmly. She leaned against the doorframe and let a confident smirk grace her face.

"You seem comfortable." She said to the woman sitting at her vanity. "What makes you so confident I didn't just shoot you through the door?" Caterina rolled her eyes and recapped her lipstick.

"Because we both know that would only fuck up my dress." She answered and rubbed her lips together and gently fluffing her hair. "Waste of bullets just to piss me off." Natasha stepped into the room and shut the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Natasha asked and moved closer to her. Catarina sighed and spun in her seat to face Natasha.

"Agent Barton already drilled me." She said and leaned back. She crossed her leg over the other and let the slip reveal her smooth, toned leg. "I'm honestly here for the ballet. I'm here with a friend of mine. This might surprise you, but some of us "criminals"" She added emphasis, "do actually have some class."

"No, I mean why are you here in Washington D.C.?" Natasha asked. Caterina blinked. She was not expecting that.

"I live right across the Potomac." She answered bluntly. "I've… I've lived here for the past, what, three years? Did you, did you guys not know that?" Caterina started chuckling. "Wow, and you guys call yourselves intelligence." Natasha crossed her arms but didn't show any other irritation.

"You do know that SHEILD is now going to start keeping tabs on you again, right?' Natasha asked.

"I thought you people already were." Caterina said. "So besides dancing, what are you doing here?"

"Just visiting." Natasha answered calmly. Caterina stood and looked at the red head before her. Both women knew the other was lying about something. "Why did you want to see me?"

"Wanted to say hello." Caterina told her stiffly. "Well, I've said hello. And now, I say goodbye." She said and moved past Natasha, heading for the door. Before she closed the door behind her, she stopped and turned. "Si vas a caminar en el hielo fino, tambien puede bailar."

"What did she want?" Barton asked her later.

"Apparently, just to say hello." Natasha answered as they made there way to the limo waiting to take them to their hotel.

"She say anything else?" HE asked, curious. Natasha shrugged.

"If you're going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance." She told him.

"What did she mean by that?" He asked. NAtasha shrugged. She might have known Caterina best, but she didn't know what she meant by that.


	3. Chapter 3

It might have been a cold night, but it was also a beautiful night. Caterina had a beautiful view of Washington D.C. and the Potomac River from the top of the pentagon. The wind was relatively still, so it wasn't as cold as it could have been. With a sigh, she pulled up her hood and the part of her sweater that was designed to cover her nose and mouth. Her ropes were hooked up but she tugged on them again just to make sure. Once she was confident she wouldn't plummet onto the cement below, she took a step off the roof and began propelling down the side of the Pentagon.

She had to be quick. The more time she spent on the wall, the more likely it was that someone passing by in a car would see her. Once she reached the window she wanted, she slowly pushed it open with her foot. She had made sure she had left that window unlocked earlier in the day when she was posing as a janitor. She left it unlocked to make sure she didn't trip the alarm.

Caterina slid into the ladies bathroom and silently went to the door. She pulled it open slowly and checked her watch. The hall cameras and motion sensors would be shutting off in 3…2…1… _Beep._

"Bingo." She whispered. The moment she heard everything shutting down, she took off in a sprint down the hall. She had 45 seconds to get around the corner before they turned on again. Once those 45 seconds were up, the next hall's security would shut off for about ten seconds.

She made it to the door without incident, and put the keycard to the scanner and it beeped green with the last keycard I.D. that was used. The door opened and she pushed through it and closed the door behind her. She checked her watch again. Caterina had about three minutes before the next set of hall security systems would go down. She neared one of the computers in the room and started it. She used the login credentials she nicked from the same person that the keycard came from.

She plugged in a flash drive and opened up what she needed. She flipped through files and documents, looking for what she needed. When she found it, she downloaded it onto the flash drive and checked her watch. Caterina had one minute until she would have to leave.

"Shit," she muttered. "Come on, come on." She muttered and the alert came up that I was downloaded. "Yes." She said and removed the flash drive. She shut the computer down and made her way to the door. She checked her watch, waiting for the systems to shut down. She kept her hand on the door and waited. The moment it was time for her to go, she yanked open the door and bolted down the rest of the hall and slid to a halt. Her eyes almost bulged out of her head. "Damnit." She whispered at the sight of the security guard. He shined his light right at her, and she could see the laser pointing right at her from his gun.

"Freeze!" He ordered. "Hands in the air." Caterina turned and ran back down the hall. "Stop!" He shouted and fired. She felt the bullet whiz past her. She wouldn't be able to use her original exit plan. She would have to go back to the entrance point. She pushed through the bathroom again and the alarms started to sound. sHe swore and dove through the window, grabbing her rope and started moving down the wall again as fast as she could. Another bullet whizzed past her and another got her arm. She swore and let go of the rope and fell to the concrete. She rolled as she landed and took off in a dead sprint towards the Potomac. She heard sirens and dogs barking.

She stuck the flashdrive in a Ziploc bag and shoved it in a pocket. Caterina pushed herself faster and she could hear them perusing her. She briefly wondered how they knew she was there but let it slip out of her thoughts as she saw the Potomac ahead.

Caterina pushed herself the last few yards and dove into the disgusting, dark water. She swam under the water as fast as she could away from the shore. She surface for only seconds and pulled on special goggles she had for this exact situation. She kept it and a small water proof flashlight in one of her zipped up pockets. Once they were on, she dove back under the water. Out of another pocket, there was a small device she pulled out and put up to her mouth. It was a small device that almost acted as gills. As water moved through it, the water was pushed through and oxygen was separated from the water, allowing her to breathe. She was inspired by the old Spy Kids movies for much of her tools. Luckily, they actually worked and came in handy.

She saw the lights from the security team shining across the top of the river, looking for her. She kept as far from the surface as possible and kicked through the much. Once she was far enough away, she turned on her small light and immediately regretted it. The river was disgusting. There was so much trash and junk. She even saw a car under the water, and she was pretty sure there was someone still in it.

Caterina kept swimming anyway. She followed the current to the small island that one of the bridges went over. She pulled herself onto the bank and let the device fall out of her mouth. She tossed off her goggles and shivered. She had really hoped she wouldn't have to deal with the river. It was nasty.

She put her stuff back into her pockets and started her hike. She made it to the bridge without incident and went to the rope that was waiting for her. She sighed and began climbing it but froze as she heard voices at the top.

"Yeah, I'm waiting for triple A. They should be here soon." She heard a man say.

"Well, don't linger around here. We can't have you on the side of the bridge for too long, could cause an accident." Another man said.

"Yes officer." The first voice said again. "You have a good night, sir." After a few seconds of silence, Caterina heard a car door shut and a car drive away. After a few more seconds of waiting, she sighed in relief and started climbing again. She reached the top and a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her over the edge.

"Thanks, Leo." She said to the tall dark man before her. He grinned and flicked his cigarette.

"Didn't go as planned did it." He stated. She glared and quickly began removing her wet clothes. Leo shook his head and pulled out a change of clothes for her. They were pajamas. She pulled on the pajama bottoms and tank top and he handed her a hoodie. As she dressed, he stuffed her wet clothes in a bag and stuck them in one of the back seats. Inside the actual seat. Caterina climbed in and they drove off. They were stopped by a cap and questioned about a mile out. Where were they going, where were they coming from, things like that. The cop even looked through the car briefly. But he let them go. After a while, Leo spoke up. "Did you get it?" Caterina only nodded and he sighed in relief. They were one step closer.

Tony was woken up by a buzzing noise. And when he grunted and rolled over to face it, a blinking red light made him squint. He propped himself up onto an elbow and looked at his device. There was a red alert symbol on the screen. He frown and sat up, grabbing it and unlocking the device. He frowned at what he just saw. Someone had broken into the pentagon. He rolled his eyes. They should have taken up his offer on security. He pressed a few buttons and sent the alert to Nick Fury, Natasha, and Clint. It was their problem, he was going to just let them deal with it. He rolled over and pulled Pepper closer to him and sighed. He was just about to fall back asleep when there was angry knocking at the door. Tony grunted and Pepper groaned.

"What did you do this time, Tony." She sighed quietly, still barely awake.

"Tony, open the door, I know you're awake." Natasha ordered. Tony sighed and sat up.

"Not my fault this time." He said and walked across the room, Natasha was still knocking. The moment he unlocked the door, she pushed it open, almost knocking him over.

"What's the rest of the report?" She demanded. "Did you send it to Director Fury?" She asked him firmly. Pepper sat up, confused.

"What's going on?" She asked and Natasha looked at her. She closed the door, but Clint pushed in as well.

"What do you mean someone broke into the Pentagon? Do they know who?" He asked and Pepper was wide awake.

"Someone broke into the Pentagon?" Pepper asked and stood, reaching for a robe. "When?"

"Just a few minutes ago." Tony answered. "Guys, relax. I have the report." He said and rolled his eyes. He went back to the night stand and turned on his device again. He swiped the alert to show up as a projection around him. There was a newscast telling what had happened. They could see the Pentagon surrounded by security. There was also a report that was still sending Tony information. HE was getting all of the reports on the security activity and he saw the small holes in activity that the person used to remain undetected.

A picture of the person who broke in popped up on the projection. There was security feed showing a woman running down the hall. Tony froze the feed and blew up the picture. You couldn't see her face, most of it was covered but Natasha knew who it was. So did Agent Barton. Natasha sighed through her nose.

"That's it." Barton said quietly and turned to Natasha. "I'm shooting her."


	4. Chapter 4

"I thought you were going to ask her for help." Leo asked Caterina as he stood over her, arms crossed. Caterina looked up from the detailing on the car she was working on. She pulled down the mask that kept her from inhaling the paint fumes.

"I thought it was none of your business." She told him firmly, staring at him with sharp eyes.

"It is when she shows up at _my_ shop." Leo said and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. Caterina's eyes nearly bulged out of her head and she bolted to her feet so fast her head almost spun.

"She's _here?!_ " She hissed under her breath. Leo smirked and nodded.

"She's in the office. I'm guessing your stunt got her attention." Leo told her. Caterina rolled her eyes and groaned. "Your problem. You gotta fix it." She undid her jumpsuit and tied the sleeves around her waist and shoved her gloves into one of her deep pockets. As she made her way over to the office, Caterina pulled her hair out of its sloppy bun and pulled it into a sharp pony tail. She stopped at the office and took a deep breath and opened the door.

Natasha turned and face the door. She was standing behind the desk, obviously snooping. Caterina had just walked in. Natasha looked her up and down. She had gotten thicker over the years. Not thicker as in fatter, but her muscles seemed to have gotten larger, firmer. She wasn't bulky like a body builder, but she was at a good point between lean and built. Her unruly brown hair was pulled back and her eyes were as dark and piercing as ever. Her black tank top hugged her hourglass form and Natasha could see her shoulder muscles.

"Hello," Caterina said quietly and shut the door. "Something I can do for you?" She asked and crossed her arms. "Car detailing? Engine work? Tire stuff?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with something more educational." Natasha said, staring her down. "Wondering if you could provide me with some information?" Natasha saw Caterina's eyes narrow just a hair and knew she was on the mark.

"What kind of information are you looking for?" Caterina asked as she moved over to a few drawers as she talked. "Something about cars? Maybe bikes?" She suggested, knowing good and well what Natasha was here for. "Anything more than that, you're barking up the wrong tree." Caterina stated firmly.

"I think you know what I'm here for." Natasha told her.

"And I think you know that you're leaving here empty handed." Caterina stated and discretely dipped her hand into an open drawer and grabbed her spare gun.

"I know you better put that gun back." Natasha said and smirked as Caterina scowled. "You really think I was going to let that slide?" Caterina shrugged and dropped it. She put her hands on her hips and stared at Natasha.

"Fine. If you need something, tell me. If not, I got a car to finish painting. And be quick, it's almost closing time." She said and turned. Caterina grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

"What's your connection with North Korea?" Natasha asked. Now she had Caterina's attention. Caterina turned to her with such a frightening glare, Natasha's hand twitched slightly for her gun.

"You need to leave." Caterina stated forcefully and swung the door open and slammed it shut so hard the class cracked.

"Cat! What the hell did you break now?" Natasha heard Caterina's coworker call from across the garage.

"Tirate a un poso!" Caterina shouted as she zipped up her jumpsuit again. Natasha didn't understand what she shouted back at her coworker until the man responded back in English.

"You go throw yourself in a whole, crazy ass bitch!" The other man shouted. Natasha stopped listening to them bicker and went back to snooping, but it was pretty half assed. If there was anything of interest, Caterina wouldn't have left her there. So Natasha decided to see what she had been up to for the past few years. Natasha was leafing through the documents on Caterina's desk lazily. she wasn't in a rush, and she had no where to be. Natasha wasn't leaving until she got what she wanted. She was patient.

Caterina returned to her car and squatted down. She put the mask back on her face and started painting again. It was a 1970's XJ Jaguar. She had finally gotten her hands on one. It had taken her forever to find one and then what seemed to be an eternity to find the parts to fix it. She was painting it a dark, forest green. She was almost done fixing the car.

"She's still there." Leo said, walking back over and dropping a wrench (that Cat had thrown at him just moments ago) at her feet. Caterina just shrugged. Leo rolled his eyes and walked away. Caterina would have to learn to deal with her own issues.

CAt ignored the fact that Natasha was still sitting in her office, snooping. It irked Caterina to no end. How dare she come into her place of work, unnancounced and unwelcome? At least Caterina didn't intend to go to Natasha's performance. It was an honest mistake. But if she had to admit, she still would have gone.

But still, Natasha had to have known about what she was doing in Korea, right? If so, then why was she wasting her time there? Did she really not know?


	5. Chapter 5

The shop was closing. Caterina was closing it up on her own. Most of her usual workers leave early, but Leo usually sticks around to help close. She sent him home. Caterina was standing at the large garage door, waiting for it shut so she could check it and make sure it was locked. It had started to rain and she watched it drip off the roof. She sighed as the door shut with a clang. She could only put it off for so long.

Caterina headed to her office. It was the only source of light at the moment. Natasha was sitting in her seat with her feet on the desk, flipping lazily through a notebook. To the normal eye, Natasha was calm, but Caterina could that she was almost bored to tears. Natasha dropped the book on the desk and floded her hands in her lap. She looked at Caterina expectantly while the burnet grabbed a coat and small back pack. She stood in the doorway.

"Dinner? My place?" Caterina offered. Natasha's lips turned up slightly in the smallest of smiles.

"When you offered dinner, I thought you would take me out." Natasha teased from the small metallic table in Caterina's kitchen.

"You love my cooking." Caterina said as she stirred the noodles in the pan. "So you finally had your performance." Caterina stated and paused. "Your friends attended. I'm sure they were impressed. How did it feel?"

"Like a dream come true." Natsha answered, voice devoid of any interest, but Caterina could tell by the way she danced, it must have been the best moment of her life. "And your reason for visiting DC?"

"I told you I live here." She answered and waved a hand around them, indicating the apartment. It was small and bare, but furnished enough. The kitchen and eating area was right through the front door and it was a small room. Past it was a sitting area with an old TV, a worn couch, and a small brown coffee table. Pushed ainst the wall, between two windows, was a small book shelf. To the left of the room was a hall that lead to the bedroom, a bathroom, and a small closet. "Are you surprised?"

"You've settled in well." Natasha told her.

"You still sound surprised." Caterina said as she plated the food. She loaded the food up on one arm and grabbed a bottle of wine with another hand. Her face was blank but she set the plates down on the small table. She had two glasses waiting for them on the table.

"You can't blame me." Natasha said with a small smile as Caterina sat down. "Last time we met, you weren't really in a good place."

"don't act like you cared about me." Caterina told her, staring her down with her dark, harsh eyes. "You and I both know it wasn't about my "stability,"

"Cat, don't be like that." Natasha told her. Caterina stood up.

"It's true, though." Caterina said as she shoved a forkful of food into her mouth. "Don't feel bad about it though. It's your job." Natasha didn't it show it, but she felt a pang of hurt at Caterina's candor. "Sorry. Didn't mean for it to sound so harsh."

"So you have a mechanic shop now?" Natasha asked, changing the subject. Caterina nodded and hummed, going along with the conversation change.

"It's not mine though. Not completely." She stated. Cat twirled her fork in the noodles. "Leo owns it. I'm just a manager. I do most of the paperwork and more expensive projects. Or at least I over see them if it gets to busy."

"So you've just been doing that for the past few years?" Natsha asked as she took a bite of food. Caterina watched her.

"What else should I be doing?" She asked and Natasha looked at her. There was a few beats of silence. Caterina had answered casually, but they both knew it was a lie. Natasha leaned back in her seat.

"We know you broke into the Pentagon." Natasha tol her. Caterina just stared at her and blinked, her face was still and calm. "We need to know why."

"Why would I break into the Pentagon?" Caterina asked. Her voice was flat and bored. Caterina was tense.

"That's why I'm asking." Natasha pointed out. Cat rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you haven't been arrested yet. Director Fury almost didn't have a choice. I had to convince him not to have Barton after you. He's itching to shoot you." Cat snorted.

"He knows it wouldn't do anything."

"But it would hurt." Natasha pointed out. Cat shrugged as if saying _fair point._ "You still haven't told me why you broke into the Pentagon."

"Why didn't you call?" Caterina asked abruptly. Natasha opened her mouth to ask what she was talking about. Nat couldn't just call her to ask _Hey, saw you in the Pentagon, what's up with that?_ "After everything that happened last time. When it was all done and over, you just left. No goodbye, no explanation. For the longest time, I thought you were dead. Still wasn't sure until a week ago."

"I didn't know how to reach you." Natasha offered. Cat scoffed and stood. Nat tensed, waiting for her to attack her, but stopped when Cat picked up their now empty plates. Caterina took them to the sink.

"You didn't even try." Cat stated. Natasha softened her face, feeling guilty about the current conversation.

"SHEILD hasn't known where you were for the last two years." Natasha pointed out. "How can you expect me to know where you are?"

"You and I both know that if you wanted to find me, you could have." Caterina told her as she scraped the dishes to clean them. Her back was to Natasha. She could see the large tattoo on her shoulder. It was a large red carnation. She was only wearing a tanktop and Nat could start to see some of her scars. "Forget it. I'm just being moody. The damn wine, ya know?" Cat added a joking tone to her voice and Natasha felt guilty. She had left Caterina on her own, after everything that happened, everything they went through. She couldn't blame her for feeling abandoned.

Natasha stood up and silently walked across the small kitchen. Caterina tensed as Natasha's arms gently wrapped around her waist and Natasha was surprised at the tension in her shoulders. She planted a gentle kiss on the woman's shoulder before resting her head there. It was her silent apology. Caterina had frozen where she stood. She hadn't let anyone this physically close to her in so long. Not even Leo could get too close for too long. Caterina couldn't tell which she wanted to do: relax or step away. One side of her head was screaming to her to run, the other half was telling her to turn and hold the red headed woman. There was no doubt in her mind that Natasha heard Cat's startled gasp and racing heart. Cat could feel herself relaxing and decided to turn and push the woman away.

As Caterina turned, her eyes widened, startled, when Natasha kissed her, preventing her from speaking. It was quick and simple, but did the trick. Cat was frozen, leaning against the counter while Natasha leaned against her. Natasha's hands gently rested on Cat's face and her eyes searched Cat. Natasha could see the caution and hurt in the other woman, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Natasha regretted ever making her feel that way, but they both knew it was business.

Natasha made up her mind and closed her eyes, leaning in, and kissed Cat again. Caterina let her eyes close and her hands rested on Nat's hips. Cat let herself get lost in the familiar feeling of Natasha against her, kissing her gently. Caterina kissed her back and held her closer.

Their eyes were closed and Natasha depened the kiss. Caterina felt her knees begin to shake and her face flushed. She hated herself for this. Cat hated how Nat made her felt even after everything Nat had done. Caterina hated how she sighed into the kiss and felt she needed to be closer to the woman in her arms.

But as much as she hated herself in this moment, and how angry she was at herself and at Natasha, she couldn't bring herself to stop this. She had missed Natasha. She had missed the company, she had missed the sound of another person in her home. Caterina had missed _her._ Sure, she had other men and women in her life, but none were the same, none of them understood her. Natasha could understand. Caterina had missed Natasha.

She bit Natasha's lower lip gently and Natasha kicked it up a notch. Her hands left Cat's face and took off her jacket her hands slid under Cat's shirt. Cat gasped at the cool hands on her skin. Natasha's hands gently slid up her sides and tugged the tank top over Cat's head. The shirt was off and Cat took Natasha's face in her hand this time and kissed her fiercely. Nat knew there was something desperate in her kiss, as if she was afraid Nat would stop and leave any minute. Cat hand pushed herself off the counter and the two took a step back. Natasha lifted herself up and wrapped her legs around Caterina. Cat's hands grapped her thighs to help support her. One was on her leg while the other wrapped around her back. Cat began walking, carrying Natasha. Natasha removed her shirt and tossed it.

Natasha let out a small oof when Cat gently dropped her on the bed. Cat's fingers were in her hair, pulling her head back gently as she kissed her neck. Caterina bit the spot on her neck just right to make Natasha's back arch up and push her against Cat. Cat's knee was between her legs and the two moved together. One hand moved from Natasha's hair and was used to support Cat so she didn't crush Nat. Natasha tightened her legs around Caterina and flipped them. Natasha was on top and she broke away from the kissing. She hovered over Cat's face, both panting. Neither said a word, but Caterina could see in Nat's eyes she was sorry. Caterina leaned up and kissed Natasha gently. Natasha kissed her back.

Caterina held on tightly, wanting to be as close to the red head as she could. She wanted to be as close as possible for as long as she could. Natasha would leave her again, she knew, but for now, Ntasha was with her. And she was going to tke advantage of every minute she had with the spy.

Natasha didn't even flinch when Caterina dug her nails in her back and scratched her. Natasha just bit her and pulled her hair harder. She wouldn't admit it, but Natasha missed the woman and felt guilt at leaving her like she did. But it didn't matter. She could barely even remember why she had come over in the first place. None if it mattered right now. Whatever was going on was able to wait until the morning when they were sober and had coffee. Now all they had to do was enjoy the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

Natasha rolled over and let her hand stretch out. Her fingers curled against sheets, searching for something. Her eyebrows scrunched as she frowned. Something was missing. Natasha opened her eyes. The room was dark, but there was light from down the hall. The space next to her was empty. She sat up and glanced around the room. She couldn't see Cat so she picked up a shirt from the floor and tossed it over her head and walked out into the hall. She peered around the corner to see Caterina sitting in her window. Her window was open and a soft breeze was wafting in. It was warm outside. She sat on the sill with one leg inside and the other leg bent so her knee was up. On her knee she rested her hand that held a smoking cigarette. Natasha quirked an eyebrow.

Caterina turned and looked at her guest. Her eyebrow quirked up at Natasha's outfit. She was wearing a soft lavender tee shirt that was Caterina's. Cat had on black yoga pants and a tank top that had the large arm openings and lots of holes. Natasha sat on the old couch, bringing her legs to cross under her.

"What time is it?" Natasha asked as she yawned softly. Cat watched her.

"About three." Cat stated. "Why are you up?" Cat asked. Natasha gave her a small smirk and leaned against the arm rest.

"I got cold." She teased. Caterina just blinked at her guest and turned to look out the window. Nat let her smile drop. Cat had put her walls back up. Natasha sighed through her nose. Caterina took a drag from her cigarette.

"you can tell Fury that what I'm involved in has nothing to do with National Security. Hell, even global security." Caterina paused, still looking outside. A low rumble was heard and Natasha had to guess a storm was heading their way. It was still raining and they could hear it on the street and fire escape.

"You know SHEILD is going to need more than that before you are off the hook." Natasha told her. Caterina shrugged and stubbed out the cigarette before standing and closing the window. Caterina headed into the kitchen.

"Not my problem." She said and pulled out a glass and a bottle of Jameson. She poured herself some and had a few sips before turning to ace Natasha. "Isn't my word worth anything anymore?" She asked accusingly. Natasha stood and looked at her. Caterina moved forward, leaving the bottle with her. She still had her glass and liquid courage. "That's all you're going to get from me. I don't need SHEILD butting in and fucking things up. Sorry for wasting your time." She all but spat out sarcastically as she came toe to toe with the red head. Natasha looked at her, trying to read her. What does she say? How can she turn this to her advantage? How can she come out on top? Caterina snorted and took a small step back as if she could read her mind. She took a sip from her drink before glancing past her.

In less than a second, Cat's eyes widened and she dropped her glass. Before it hit the floor, Caterina struck out and arm and grabbed Natasha. She threw them both onto the floor and rolled them as the space behind them was shredded with bullets. Glass shattered and wood flew. Natasha was startled and helped roll them out of the way. They both crouched in the hall.

"Shit. Shit shit." Cat mumbled. "Stay here." She whispered and crawled to her room. Natasha watched her go. Natasha focused on her coat. It was in the kitchen. She needed it, it had a small gun and a phone. She needed to call for an emergency extraction.

Natasha took a deep breath and bolted for the kitchen, being narrowly missed by bullets as she grabbed it and leaped out of the way. She took out her gun and shot at the lights, taking them out. The gun fire ceased and there was a silent pause. Nat snapped her head in the direction of Cat's voice.

"Did you have to shoot the lights?" She asked. Natasha looked at her funny, not that she could see it.

"What did you expect me to do?" Natasha asked. She heard Cat sigh and was startled when something soft hit her legs. She felt it with her hand.

"I got you some sweat pants. We need to get out of here." Cat stated. Natasha started pulling them on. Caterina sighed. "Call Barton to pick us up somewhere. We can't deal with these people on our own. Not right now." Natasha opened her phone and hit the speed dial number she needed for Barton.

"We're under fire." Natasha answered. "We're gonna need a lift out. No you need to meet us somewhere else. I don't know how many there are."

"Tell him to meet us at the docks." Caterina called and Natasha heard her loading a gun. "Tell him buzzard point."

"Where the hell is buzzard point?" Natasha asked. She heard a sigh.

"Oh for shit's sake. Tell him to google it. It's just a few block from here." Caterina stuck her hand out from the safety of the hall and the room erupted in gunfire again. Natasha heard Caterina cry out in pain.

"Cat!" She called. "You ok?" Caterina grunted. Natasha hung up and shoved it in her coat pocket.

"Just grazed my arm. I'm fine." She said. There was a pause when the gunfire ceased. It started soon after and something fell next to Natasha. It oofed. "Just me. Ok. We need to get out of here before they get up here."

"Cat, who are they?"

"I'll explain later, we have to go." Cat said and started pushing Natasha towards the door. Natasha scooted to the door and opened it. They stood in the hall, both looking for wich way to go. "Shit." Cat mumbled before grabbing Natasha's hand and running for it.

Neither had said a word the whole run. Natasha followed Caterina silently, trusting the woman to know where to go. Natasha watched and followed her. When she ducked into an alley, so did Natasha. When she jumped into the street, so did Natasha. They had to use their environemt to their advantage. From what Natasha could gather, their persuers were in cars. Before long, Natasha heard Cat sigh in relief.

Natasha looked ahead and could see a dock. They were running past some warehouses at a light jog and they hadn't seen anyone following them for about half a mile. Caterina pulled Natasha ahead of her and pushed her to run in front. The two women ran on the doc, looking for their way out.

"Where is he?" Cat hissed quietly. Natasha kept looking around as they jogged along the wodden dock. They ended up slowing down. They walked and looked at the boats. There were several. Luckily no one was there. Down at the end of the dock, small motorboat flashed two quick lights. It was Barton. Natasha reached out and touched Cat's shoulder to get her attention. Right at that moment, they heard someone shout at them. Cat turned and pushed Nat to run.

A gun shot rang out. Nat heard a grunt but felt Cat bump into her, so she kept running. Gunfire erupted as the two ran for the boat. Cat stopped a few yards away from the boat and began to fire back before running again. She had been hit in the arm and she let it hang limp next to her. She fired off a few rounds.

"Cat, let's go!" Barton called to her as he revved up the engine. Cat stopped shooting and started to run. She was out of bullets and she was bleeding. Her chest burned. She sprinted the last few yards and leapt off the dock, hitting the floor of the boat hard and trying to get as flat as possible. Bullets rained on the boat and Cat covered Natasha's head instinctively. They felt the boat lurch as Barton sped them away. They heard him yell and Cat risked a glance up. He was grazed in the arm. He'll live.


	7. Chapter 7

"Barton, she's not breathing." Natasha told him over the roar of the boat's engine. He drove them down the Potomac as quickly as he could. They had been quiet for a while now, so neither of them noticed that Cat had fallen asleep (or passed out it seemed).

"What?" He asked, alarmed and turning to look over his shoulder. "You sure?" He called to her. Natasha lay her down and stuck her face near Cat's, waiting. Then she checked for a pulse.

"I was wrong, she's barely breathing and her pulse is weak." Natasha told him and started looking for the first aid kit.

"Did she get shot?" He asked, returning his focus to making sure they didn't hit anything hiding in the water.

"Shot once, grazed at the apartment." Natasha told him. "I thought she'd heal by now!" She explained as she found the kit and ripped it open. She pulled out the gauze and scissors. She cut part of Cat's tank top where the strap was and flipped her over, quickly putting gauze over the wound and rolling her back onto her back.

"Isn't she supposed to have regenerative properties?" He asked.

"That was my understanding!" Nat told him and started to tap Cat's face, hoping to wake her up. "Cat? Cat, can you hear me? Cat, I need you to wake up. Cat?" She asked, still tapping the woman's face.

 _It felt like her skin was on fire, and the only relief she could find was the cool metal floor on her face. Another shockwave of pain coursed through her, making her seize up and gasp for air. Her heart felt as if it was about to beat out of her chest. It must have been going as fast as a hummingbird's._

 _It hurt, she didn't know what it was, but it hurt. She tasted blood. It was probably from biting her tongue. She felt it spilling out of her mouth, her tears fell down her face. It hurt. Another wave of pain shot through her, but it was different this time, more like an electric currant. She seized up for a second. Something rolled her onto her back and she let her hands rest on her chest._

" _Cat?" Someone called to her. She rolled her head to the side and saw no one was there. Another shock jolted her body and her back arched up. When she fell back against the floor, she could feel the cool metal on her back._

 _Her heart seemed to slow to a bit more of a normal pace. Maybe it was almost over. But what happened when it stopped? Was she dying? Did they poison her? Why? What did they do to her? Another shockwave brought her back off the floor again. Cat found she was able to finally get a breath in. She gasped for air._

" _Cat? Can you hear me?" She heard a different voice this time, it was a man's voice. She noticed it was English. Actually, so was the other voice. She scowled. Her muscles were sore from being so tense, but she could move a little easier now. "Cat? Cat, wake up, now." She opened her mouth but just sighed. She let her eyes slowly peek open only to close at the harsh light. "Cat? I know you can hear me. Cat, I need you to open your eyes." He urged. She tried to open her eyes again but struggled. Her hand must have reached out, because she grabbed something. She felt her mouth moving, but she wasn't sure if she was talking or breathing._

" _Cat, we got you." The first voice told her. It was a woman's voice, firm but familiar. They kept talking but she couldn't hear them._

She tried to open her eyes again, and wasn't blinded this time. Her vision was swimming and nausea set in very quickly. She was able to muster what strength she could get to sit up. She rolled and found she was on a table. Now she was on the floor, on her hands and knees. Her throat was burning as vomit came up. She heard people move away and sounds of disgust came frm them. One person was next to her, rubbing her back as a demon's claw reached down her throat and tried to pull it up and out of her. She wasn't even throwing up anything except bile and dry heaving at this point.

"Oh my god." She gasped. "Just kill me."

"It'll pass." The woman next to her promised. Ca groaned and hung her head. "See?" She offered. Cat held up a finger before starting to vomit again.

"Jesus, Cat." She heard Barton say from his spot on the other side of the table. He came around and he and Natasha helped get her back on the table when she stopped vomiting. When they got her upright again, Cat blinked before falling back. She closed her eyes and passed out.

"So she's a friend of yours?" Bruce asked the two agents who stood guard in the room. Barton was leaning near the door while Natasha sat in a chair next to the bed Cat lay in. Bruce was taking a blood sample.

"Something like that." Natasha answered, glancing back at Cat for a second. They ignored Barton's snort.

"I should get the tests done fairly soon." Bruce told them. "Is there anything you want me to look for?"

"Not sure. She used to have regenerative properties. Injuries like this usually heal within a matter of minutes." Natasha told him. "there's sure to be something different." Bruce nodded as he began to pack up his stuff and the samples he had taken. He and Natasha froze when Cat started to move. She rolled over onto her side, facing Natasha. Other than that she didn't do anything else. Bruce finished packing up and left the room, wanting to get started right away. The three sat in silence for a bit before Clint spoke up.

"You should get some sleep." He told her.

"Some one has to watch her incase she tries to run." Natasha told him automatically.

"That' why I'm here." He told her. "Besides, she seems pretty subdued." Natasha didn't answer him. She just sat there, staring at her face. She had lost a lot of blood and looked a little pale. He stood there quiet for a while before smiling and shaking his head. "Well, if you won't go sleep, I will." He told her and walked over and gave her shoulder a squeeze before leaving. "See you two in the morning." Natasha heard the door close and she leaned back in her seat.

"He's gone," She said quietly. "You can open your eyes now, it's just us." Caterina's eyes snapped open. Her eyes seemed dazed. Natasha only new she was awake because she noticed her breathing changed when Bruce took a few small blood samples. Natasha had wondered if it was a good idea to take more blood from her. "How you feeling?" She asked.

"Hungry." Caterina told her. "You hit?" She asked. Natasha smiled a bit and shook her head. Caterina sighed and nodded, closing her eyes again. "You guys always make things harder?"

"We weren't the ones shooting this time." Natasha told her. Cat snorted.

"This time no." Cat admitted. "But if I had been alone, I wouldn't be lying here with half of my blood missing."

"No, you'd be dead." Natasha told her, her voice going firm. She was getting irritated. Why was Cat trying to pick a fight.

"You don't know that." Cat told her, scowling. "I've survived fine on my own with out you, and I'm perfectly happy to keep doing so." He spat and rolled over, facing away. Natasha tried not to sigh and looked at the ceiling trying to calm down. "Why did you come back?" She asked, startling Natasha.

"You broke into the Pentagon, Cat." Natasha reminded her.

"That's not what I asked." She state and propped herself up on her elbows. She looked Natasha dead in the face. "Why did _you,_ Natasha, the Black Widow, come see me?" Natasha looked at her, making sure to keep her face as calm and neutral as possible. She was thinking about how she wanted to do this. Be honest for Cat's sake? Or tell her what she wants to hear? "Stop it, Natasha." Cat told her suddenly. "Don't try to come out on top. You know me, I'm obviously not a threat right now." She explained. "I want to know why you came."

"I was ordered to." Natasha told her, making sure to stay neutral. She expected Cat to say something, but she just nodded and lay back down. Cat was staring at the ceiling, silent. She didn't seem upset, she didn't seem happy. She didn't seem to be feeling any emotion, at least not on the outside. "Cat?" Natasha asked. Cat closed her eyes and hummed. Natasha didn't say anything for a while and Cat turned to her, waiting for her to speak. Natasha stood and looked at the woman before her. She paused, almost as if she couldn't decide on something. Then she turned on her heel and left. Cat watched her go.


	8. Chapter 8

Natasha stood in the shower, cold water hitting her face. She was just standing there, letting the water wash over her. She rolled her shoulders and found herself smirking as she felt the scratches on her back. Cat did love to leave marks. Her nails were just long enough to scratch her, and Natasha felt a chill go down her spine as she thought about those nails gently grazing the skin on her thighs, stomach, Cat's teasing hands. But she wasn't teasing earlier like she usually was. This time seemed almost desperate, needy, and almost angry, too. Natasha couldn't blame her. Her fingers gently massaged her scalp where Cat had pulled her hair.

 _Why did you come?_

She may have said it with no emotion, but Natasha could tell Cat was hurt. And her answer didn't help, but she couldn't tell Cat the truth. She had to stay in control of the situation.

While yes, she had been asked to go, it wasn't an order. She would never say this out loud, but she was excited to have an excuse to see Caterina again. She wished she had left on better terms, but it couldn't be helped. It would have been very risky to even try to reach out to her after that. Not only for herself, but for Cat as well. Natasha shook her head. She needed to think better thoughts, happy thoughts.

Like the first time Cat had cooked for her, or when they sat on the hood of her car stargazing. Natsha thought about the first time they had met. Cat was her assignment. She had to get information from her, but to do that, she had to get close to her. Natasha had to make her fall in love with her. But Caterina had caught on at some point, Natasha wasn't even sure when. But Cat played along until the very end.

" _Cat, I wanted to talk to you." Natasha had said as they sa down at a coffee shop a block form Cat's apartment. "I'm being relocated. They just told me now, I'm-" Cat had cut her off with a small smile and a wave of her hand._

" _You don't have to lie." She told her. "You had to get information, and you did."_

" _You knew?" Natasha asked, suddenly on edge. Cat shrugged._

" _I've known for a while." She admitted with a small smile. "So, this is it then?" She said with a sigh and smile. Cat stood. "It was nice to meet you. Good luck with…whatever you do." She said. Natasha was only able to nod. She didn't know what to say and she watched her walk away._

Natasha turned and leaned her head back, letting the water fall down her hair. That wasn't a happy thought. Natasha wracked her brain, but anything that was a good memory was tainted by guilt. She sighed and turned off the water. She pulled on the spare clothes she had and lay on the small bed. She'd been staying on the hovercraft for the past month. She wondered how Cat was going to react tomorrow, when she had more oxygen going to her head. That was something she'd have to wait for the morning to find out. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to get some sleep.

But when she closed her eyes, all she could see was Cat. She saw Cat's smile, her genuine smile. Her lips parted and her hearty laugh rang gently in her ears. NAtasha saw the woman's long brown hair fall in loose curls around her bare shoulders that were tanned and soaking up more sun while they walked. Cat had turned her head to NAtasha and fliped her hair flirtatiously as she held a carnation to her nose and sniffed it gently. Cat smiled and stuck itbehind her ear, the red contrasting wit her brown hair beautifully. A delicate gold chain rested around her neck and glinted softly in the warm southern sun. Natasha could feel Cat's soft hands slide into hers and interlace their fingers as she brought it up to her mouth. She could feel Cat's lips leave a slight kiss on her hand.

Her hands were soft, compared to her now calloused hands and her smile wasn't nearly as bright. Natasha new some of that was her fault. When she saw Cat's eyes had been dulled, Natasha almost wanted to cry. She never, ever felt this strongly about a target and knew she was on thin ice. Maybe that was what CAt meant. WHen you walk on thin ice you might as well dance. ANd if NAtasha was honest, she wanted nothing more than to dance with Caterina.

"Ms. Juarez." Nick fury greeted as he entered the room. Cat looked up at him.

"It's Cat, Nick." SHe told him. "Call me CAt." SHe smirked. "Aren't we friends, Nick?" Nick didn't say anything. Cat stopped smiling and sighed. "What do you want?" SHe asked boredly and started looking around the room. She snorted at the one way window on the wall. sHe knew who was standing behind it, too. Nick looked at her. HE could see the paleness in her skin and the bags under her eyes. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy bun and her eyes were dull.

"Why did you break into the Pentagon?" Nick asked.

"Needed information." Caterina answered bluntly. Nick was startled by getting an answer, but kept it concealed.

"What information did you need?" He asked cautiously, not expecting much more. CAt's eyes snapped to him.

"I needed to know the location of a Northern Korean terrorist cell." She answered. Nick almost fell out of his chair, and Cat could tell he was startled. Behind the glass, CLint spit out his coffee.

"What was that reaction for?" Bruce asked his friend.

"SHe answered a damn question!" HE told him. "SHe's never given a straightforward answer, we just go in circles with her."

"What is the name of the cell?" Fury asked as he collected himself.

"THey don't have one." SHe answered. Nick looked at her, unbelieving. She rolled her eyes. "THey are an unnamed cell that had been sanctioned by the Norther Korean Governement. THey have the permission to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, as long as their primary goal was to better the Korean Nation. This could range from trying to make the perfect soldier, to taking out enemies of the state." Cat paused here. "They were created and then cut lose, severing any legal bonds the government would have to the group. AS long as their work is for the better of their country, Korea won't step in." Fury was taking notes, but Cat knew there was an audio recording as well.

"Why are you looking for them?" He asked. Caterina hesitated before continuing.

"Three months after whatever mission you guys had involving me ended, the cell turned their eyes to me. Thanks for that, by the way." She said calmly. "Took me five years to lose them. I was finally safe until you guys got involved."

"What did they want?"

"Me." She stated. "I guess they didn't appreciate me running away with their technology." She said with a closed lip smile. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. "As Agents BArton and ROmanoff will tell you, I have some regenerative properties. They gave it to me and i guess they want it back to test and replicate it."

"Perfect soldier." Barton mumbled. "A soldier who doesn't die when shot or blown to bits." Bruce looked at him and then back at the woman across from Nick fury.

"SHe has the regenerative properties?" Bruce asked and BArton nodded. "That explains something. Her blood recovers quickly. Her white blood cells and plateletts seem to work on over drive, but there is something that is also breaking them down."

"What do you mean?" Barton asked and looked to Bruce, frowning.

"Something is breaking down the cells as they are regenerating and rebuilding and injured muscle or tissue." Bruce explained. Barton just quirked an eyebrow. Maybe that's why she wasn't healing as fast. THey looked back to the room. Nick had asked her a few more questions and she answered. THis went back and forth for quite a while.

"So, anything else you wanna know?" SHe asked as they began to wrap up.

"Yeah." Nick said and looked her dead in the eye. "You are you being so informative all of a sudden?" Caterina blinked.

"I'm dying, Nick."

" _They're my favorite," Caterina said with a soft smile. Natasha used a few fingers to brush Caterina's hair out of her face as she looked down at the woman. She took the carnation from Cat's hand and stuck it behind her ear again, like she had earlier._

 _"Looks good on you." She teased in that calm tone. Cat gave her a sweet smile before sitting up._

 _"I should put it in a book before it dries." Cat said and walked over to her bookshelf. She pulled off the COunt of Monte Cristo and placed it between the pages before putting it back on the shelf._

 _"People usually put flowers in vases, not books." Natasha pointed out as she leaned back on her hands. Cat crawled on the bed, a sly look on her face as she crawled over to Natasha and invaded her personal space. Natasha just smiled at her, not minding it one bit, especially as Cat gave her a small peck on the lips. Her brown hair was curlier than earlier thanks to the humidity, and it looked almost wild. One of the straps of her mint green slip fell off her shoulder. Cat rested her forehead on Nat's. They sat there in the dark for a little bit, just breathing._

 _"I'm hungry." Cat announced softly, making NAtasha chuckle. She gently hit her with a pillow. Cat laughed and gently grabbed Natasha. "Come on, l make amazing chicken and waffles."_

 _"It's almost two in the morning." Natasha said a she laughed and let her pull her into the kitchen._

 _"But that's the best time." CAt teased. Natasha let CAt cook. Nat kept herself busy by teasing Cat and distracting her. THe flower ended up everywhere and Cat dropped an egg on the floor. Cat almost burned the waffles and it took forever for the chicken to fry. Cat's kitchen was a mess, but the two women sitting on the couch ignored it. CAt was right, she did make good chicken and waffles._

Cat sat in her chair, bent over the trash can. Her back was sore by now and she couldn't tell if the blood was from her stomach or from her raw throat. After her next bought of vomitting, she knew it was internal bleeding. Vomit shouldn't look like that. Cat found it hard to breathe and the room began to spin. She set a hand on the chair to steady herself.

"Jesus, Cat." Barton said as he wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "WHy didn't you tell us?" He scolded as he lifted her. She wobbled and held on.

"You want to shoot me." She slurred. She was exhausted. She had just sat there for fifteen minutes straight, vomiting.

"Not when you're like this." He told her.

"THat's, nice of you." SHe mumbled as he lead her back to the infirmary. Her stomach had the best timing. Nick had asked her to explain, and she ended up vomitting everywhere. Her vertigo had gotten too much for her to handle. She hid it well, no one suspected she was struggling with it. Before she knew it, they had her back on the bed in the white room. She closed her eyes and tried to get the room to stop spinning. She felt a hand on her head and peeped and eye open. It was Bruce.

"You have a fever." He told her. "It seems like your body is fighting against whatever was destroying your blood cells." He explained. She nodded and waved him off.

"It'll pass." She told him. "Always does."

Ok, so I saw how many people are following and have favorited and reviewed. Thank you all so much. Never thought this story would get such a following.

Please review and tell me what you do and don't like. I love getting feed back from people.

Also, the memories are inspired by Dangerous Woman, by Ariana grande. She's not an artist im a fan of, but I do love this song. And I wanted to delve into a bit of their history. Hope you guys enjoy this one. Please let me know how you like the story so far.


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